Unreturned library book leads to woman's arrest

INDEPENDENCE, Iowa – An Iowa woman has been arrested because she failed to return a library book.

Thirty-nine-year-old Shelly Koontz was arrested Thursday night on a fifth-degree theft charge. She is accused of keeping "The Freedom Writers Diary," which she checked out from the public library in nearby Jesup in April.

Police say the book — which is about a high school teacher's effort to inspire students to write — is valued at $13.95.

Court records show library employees tried repeatedly to contact Koontz by phone and mail. A police officer even visited her home last September.

Officials at the Buchanan County jail say Koontz was released after posting $250 bond. No telephone listing for Koontz could be found in the Independence area.


If you live in Iowa,make sure you always return your library books:bang:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090124/ap_on_fe_st/odd_library_book_theft;_ylt=Ai1jzrl0URcckYIDQxjOWc_tiBIF

That reminds me- I have some books out from my library that were due last Thursday. I better return them quick before the law comes knocking
Seriously though, after the police stopped by about the book why on earth didn't she return it or pay the fee or something? I am a little too forgetful about my library books but not that late and if the cops came by about them I'd sure find them & bring them back pretty darn quick.

Man, that library is SERIOUS about getting its books back!

Over here, they mail you a notice and if you still don't return the book and pay up, they mail you a bill for the whole book.

I don't know what they'd do if you didn't pay the bill, and I don't think I WANT to know!

Expensive book... if she wanted the darned thing she should have just bought it instead of trying to steal it.

I say good for the library! If they don't go after the people who do this they and others will continue to steal. Librarys are always hit hard during budget crunches... and with the recession coming on they need all the help they can get.

I had library books months and months overdue, and they dont do anything about it here.......It was an honest mistake on my part though, I had totally forgotten about them, so I just returned them and paid the eeeek.....$20 libarary late fee......oops! They do send notices in the mail, but it didnt come for like 2 months after I first checked them out.
Remember that story about the guy who had a 50 yr overdue library book?? I remember hearing about it somewhere, now THAT is a big fine to pay! lol

Obviously, LE has little or next to nothing to do in that town.

That is so ridiculous, arresting someone over a late book..

Good for the library. I had to go to a neighboring county to get a book I needed for researching which had been checked out locally for 9 months (couldn't contact him). What I do to help me remember is hang a little tag with due dates on my sun visor of the car before I leave the library. At most I have been late one day.

Free service except when you borrow from other counties (35.00 per year) for Spartanburg because they sometimes have books the local library does not.